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A wildfire that broke out in the Andalusian province of Huelva, in southwestern Spain, remained active Sunday, prompting the evacuation of 470 locals as a precaution. Authorities expressed optimism that they are managing to control a blaze which has so far affected some 8,000 hectares, not all of which have been burnt. “The fire remains complex. We still have work to do and a tough day ahead, involving a great deal of intervention, but today we are somewhat more optimistic,” said the Andalucia region’s minister for emergencies, Antonio Sanz. Around 500 firefighters aided by waterbombing planes have been deployed to keep the blaze at Niebla, some 70 kilometres (45 miles) from the border with Portugal, at bay. Spain is enduring a tough summer for wildfires, with around three dozen blazes having forced the evacuation of thousands of people, especially in the centre of the country. One that raged in July in the Avila region near Madrid was considered the biggest Spain had seen in recent history, laying waste to some 50,000 hectares. Early in July, another sweeping blaze caused 14 deaths in Almeria province in Andalusia. Europe has suffered a succession of heatwaves and drought this year, which scientists say have been aggravated by human-generated climate change. 

An 80-year-old woman died in the fast-moving Bald Range wildfire in British Columbia's wine country, Canadian police said, after the blaze nearly doubled in size over the weekend and forced the evacuation of people in the area.The death was the first reported as a result of the wildfire in the region, which has been shrouded in smoke and fire as hot and dry conditions increased the scale of the blaze.The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said in a statement late on Sunday that the Meadow Valley resident was evacuating her home with a family member when she reportedly died suddenly. Police believe her death to be a result of the wildfire and are investigating, the statement said.Nearby Summerland, a district municipality with about 12,000 people, has a significant senior population that was evacuated over the weekend. The senior people's homes were given advance notice, Summerland Mayor Doug Holmes said.Canada has experienced a hot summer this year, sparking fires in remote forests and other regions, leading to more than 4,600 fires burning 4 million hectares of land.Officials said the Bald Range wildfire triggered the largest evacuation event in British Columbia so far this summer. More than 20,000 people across the province have been forced to leave their homes. The United States is also grappling with wildfires. Evacuees forced to flee a cluster of fires near Spokane, Washington, were allowed back to their homes on Sunday.At the height of the conflagration, as many as 64,000 residents were under evacuation orders.The BC Wildfire Service said on Monday it expects lightning to start new wildfires in the Okanagan region, which has been receiving limited rain. High temperatures and heightened wind gusts will continue in the Okanagan and southeastern regions of BC, which can increase fires, the agency said. The Bald Range fire has now spread over 13,600 hectares since it was discovered on Friday. 

China evacuated more than 1.8 million ​people on Saturday as Typhoon Bavi ‌churned toward thethe major eastern city of Wenzhou after pummelling Japan's southern Sakishima island chain ‌with heavy rain and violent ⁠winds and brushing past ‌northern Taiwan.Even as Bavi continues to slow and ‌weaken on its northwesterly path over cooler seas, the typhoon is still a potent risk due to the sheer ⁠volume of moisture it holds within its rain bands, about the size of France from end to end.Bavi had maximum sustained winds of 144 km per hour (90 mph), equivalent to Category 1 on the Saffir-Simpson Hurricane Wind scale, and was about 200 km (124 miles)southeast of Wenling in the eastern province of Zhejiang as of 0808 GMT, according to the National Meteorological Center.Bavi is forecast to make landfall around Wenzhou, home to some 10 million people, early on Sunday.State media said more than 1.7 million people had been evacuated across ​Zhejiang province, where Wenzhou is located, and more than 100,000 in neighbouring Fujian province."I'm a little worried, but I think it'll be OK. We've been through typhoons before. We'll get through it," said Wenzhou resident Huang Xinghuan, 50, who was out ‌buying groceries at a traditional wet market before ⁠it closed ahead of ​the typhoon.Huang said his family had stocked about two to three days' worth of water. "I ​think supplies are well guaranteed now. There's no need to panic or stockpile a lot of food or other supplies," he added.While Japan and Taiwan have not so far reported any deaths from the typhoon, 17 people died in the Philippines due to heavy rains brought by an enhanced southwest monsoon, worsened by Bavi's impact.Taiwan's fire department said 87 people had been injured, mostly falls from motorcycles or bicycles, as well as people falling over or being struck by objects.TAIWAN SPARED WORST OF BAVIIn Taiwan, the government evacuated more than 14,000 people from mainly mountainous areas as the island shut down for the approach of Bavi to the north.While Bavi did not make landfall in Taiwan, the government took precautions to prevent loss ‌of life, given forecasts for almost 1 metre (3 ‌feet) of rain in some areas.Most ⁠of those evacuated were in areas in the north and east, with 920 international flights cancelled, effectively closing Taiwan's main ⁠international airport at Taoyuan, outside the capital Taipei, ⁠as well as all 282 domestic flights.Almost all cities and counties across Taiwan declared a typhoon holiday for Saturday, closing any offices and schools that may have been open on the weekend, though in Taipei some restaurants and convenience stores remained open.The main north-south high-speed rail line also continued to operate, but with reduced service.In downtown Taipei some people were still out on the street in blustery wind and rain."It's OK, it's not that serious," said ​Yeh Mao-hsiung, 68, out for a morning walk with his dog. "It's just a little bit more wind."But in Taipei's Beitou neighbourhood in the foothills of the mountains surrounding the city, gusts of around 100 kph knocked down trees and swelled rivers.In Wenzhou, Chen Qiuqin, in her 60s, walked through steady rain on her way to her parents' home to help them prepare for the typhoon but said she was not too concerned given the government's preparations."I was worried about the flowerpots on my mother's balcony, so I'm going to help move them inside. My parents are both elderly and they're home alone, so I wasn't at ease," she said. 

The UN's health agency pleaded Friday for thousands of people in desperate need of medical care to be allowed to leave Gaza, in what it said would be a "game-changer".The World Health Organisation has supported the medical evacuation of nearly 7,800 patients out of the Gaza Strip since the war with Israel began two years ago -- and estimates there are 15,000 people currently needing treatment outside the Palestinian territory.But a US-brokered ceasefire that came into effect on October 10 has not sped up the process -- the WHO has been able to evacuate only 41 critical patients since then.Rik Peeperkorn, the WHO's representative in the Palestinian territories, called for all crossings out of Gaza into Israel and Egypt to be opened up during the ceasefire -- not only for the entry of aid but for medical evacuations too."All medical corridors need to be opened," he said, particularly to hospitals in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, as happened routinely before the war."It is vital and is the most cost-effective route. If that route opened, it would really be a... game-changer."Speaking via video link from Jerusalem, he told journalists in Geneva that two evacuations were planned for next week, but he wanted them every day and said the WHO was ready to take "a minimum of 50 patients per day".At the current rate, he said evacuating the 15,000 people needing treatment -- including 4,000 children -- would drag on for a decade or so.The WHO says more than 700 people have died waiting for medical evacuation since the war began.The UN health agency has called for more countries to step up and accept Gazan patients. While over 20 countries have taken patients, only a handful have done so in large numbers.Peeperkorn said only a fraction of Gaza's health system remained in service -- just 14 of 36 hospitals are even partially functional for a population topping two million.

Philippine authorities announced the evacuation of more than 22,000 people on Luzon Island due to Tropical Storm Ramil, which brought heavy rains and strong winds across the southern and central parts of the island. The Philippine National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council reported that 22,311 people were evacuated from Calabarzon and Bicol, where local governments implemented preemptive measures before Ramil made landfall. The storm also disrupted transportation operations across the country. At least 39 seaports were damaged, stranding 3,242 passengers, 1,050 cargo vessels, and six ships. Approximately 20 storms or typhoons hit or approach the Philippines each year. The country's poorest regions are typically the most vulnerable to the effects of natural disasters.

A violent explosion occurred Tuesday morning in the town of Castel d'Azzano in Verona province, northern Italy, inside a rural house, killing three members of the Carabinieri security forces and wounding 13 other police and firefighter personnel while they were carrying out a forced evacuation of the house. Italy's ANSA news agency reported that two siblings, a man and a woman in their 60s, were arrested by security forces, while a third sibling remains at large. According to preliminary investigations, police were in the process of executing an evacuation order for the three siblings' home, following several previous failed attempts. Gas cylinders exploded inside the building as soon as the door was opened, causing the two-story house to collapse and a massive fire to break out, completely consuming its interior. For his part, Italian Interior Minister Matteo Piantedosi described the incident as "a tragic loss," in which the loss of the three Carabinieri officers "honored the uniform to the ultimate sacrifice." Firefighters and ambulance crews are still working at the explosion site, while authorities continue to investigate to determine the responsibilities and exact circumstances of the incident, which has been described as the most violent in recent years in the Veneto region of northern Italy.